Method of playing a bonus wager for poker games that have community cards

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a bonus wager for a poker game that has community cards wherein at least one card is dealt to each player hand and at least one card is dealt as community cards. A player wagering on the bonus wins if a subset of cards in a bonus hand composed of one or more of the community cards has a predetermined combination, such as a rank found in the bonus pay table.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 11/184,268, filed Jul. 19, 2005 for Method of Playing a Poker-Type Game in the name of John Feola.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to games of chance, more specifically, to a game based on poker in which necessary knowledge of the game is minimized and skill is not a factor in playing.

2. Description of the Related Art

Texas Hold'em, a form of stud poker, has seen its popularity skyrocket as a result of various television shows that feature the game. With the popularity, many people are playing the game at home and more casinos are installing tables for the game. While watching people playing on these shows and at neighborhood gatherings, a novice to the game may feel overwhelmed and intimidated. This intimidation can take the form of feelings of embarrassment at not knowing how to play the games or not being able to play as fast or well as others, and can manifest itself by not trying the game or even in not gambling at all.

Texas Hold'em is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The dealer deals out a hand to each player. Each hand receives two cards face down (the hole cards). The player to the left of the dealer antes an amount equal to half the minimum bet (the small blind) and the player to that player's left antes an amount equal to the minimum bet (the big blind). All players except the small and big blinds look at their hands and a round of wagering takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind. After the round of wagering is complete, three community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table (the flop), followed by a second round of wagering beginning with the player to the dealer's left. After the second round, another community card is dealt face up (the turn card), followed by a third round of wagering. After the third round, the fifth community card is dealt face up (the river card), followed by the final round of wagering.

After the final round of wagering, each player turns their hole cards face up. The highest hand that can be made with any combination of a player's hole cards and the five community cards wins the pot. If two or more players have the same hand, the next highest card in each of the tied players' hands (the kicker) is used as a tie-breaker. If there is no kicker, that is, the tied players used both hole cards or have the same hand, the pot is split between them.

Texas Hold'em is but one type of stud poker that uses community cards. Another is Let It Ride, played as a table game in casinos. Each player makes three bets. Then the dealer deals each player three cards and two face-down community cards. After seeing their first three cards, each player has the option to either take back one of their three bets back or leave it. Then the dealer turns over one of the two community cards. Each player then has the option to take back another bet or leave it. Finally the second community card is turned over and the players are paid according to pay tables.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bonus wager to stud poker games with community cards.

The present invention provides a bonus wager to a poker game with community cards. For example, in Texas Hold'em, each player has two cards and there are five community cards. Sometime prior to the community cards being revealed, each player is given the option of wagering on whether a bonus hand composed of one or more of the community cards is found in a bonus pay table.

In one implementation, the bonus hand is composed of the first three community cards. In another, the bonus hand is composed of all of the community cards. In yet another, the bonus hand is composed of two or more community cards, where a subset of cards in the bonus hand is found in a bonus pay table. For example, the bonus hand is composed of five community cards and the combination of the best four cards of the bonus hand is found in the bonus pay table.

The present invention contemplates that the bonus wager may be included in games played using media other than playing cards on a card table, such as scratch or pull-tab tickets, video poker-type machines, personal computers, hand-held devices, slot machines, over an on-line computer network, or on another type of one-way or interactive gaming or entertainment equipment, such as keno-style or lottery-style equipment.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and object of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a table layout of an example game that includes a bonus wager of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a detail of one version of a player location of the table layout of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a detail of a second version of a player location of the table layout of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an example pay table for a three-card bonus wager;

FIG. 5 is an example pay table for a five-card bonus wager;

FIG. 6 is an example pay table for the best four of five bonus wager;

FIG. 7 shows a scratch ticket implementing the example game with a bonus wager of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a keno-style system implementing; and

FIG. 9 shows a video screen implementing the example game with a bonus wager of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a bonus wager to a poker game that has community cards. As an example of a poker game that has community cards, the present specification uses the game disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/184,268, which is based on Texas Hold'em poker. The essence of the example game is that a player wagers on one or more hands that she hopes will be the winning hand.

The term “playing card” is used in the present application to indicate a playing card, a symbol representing a playing card, any facsimile thereof. For example, a playing card can be a paper playing card, a representation of a card on a table layout, an image of a card on a video display, an image of a card on a scratch ticket, etc. Any representation of a playing card is contemplated.

In the example game, there are five hands, each having two revealed (face up) cards, and five hidden (face down) community cards. The community cards are part of all five hands. In other words, each hand consists of the two revealed cards and the five community cards. A player can wager on one or more of these five hands to be the winning hand. After wagering, three of the community cards are revealed. The player must then either raise or fold each hand previously wagered. The last two community cards are revealed and the winning hand is determined.

The example game is played on a playing surface, typically a tabletop, although other playing surfaces are contemplated, as described below. Example configurations of a playing surface 10 are shown in FIGS. 1-3. The playing surfaces 10 of FIGS. 1-3 are merely examples and any other playing surface configuration that provides the functionality needed to play the game is contemplated.

The central dealer position 12 has five card locations 14 a-14 e (collectively, 14), one location for each of the community cards. The dealer position 12 is surrounded by a plurality of identical player positions 20. Each player position 20 has a plurality of hand locations. In the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3, there are five hand locations 22 a-22 e (collectively, 22). Each hand location 22 has a wager spot 24 a-24 e (collectively, 24) and a raise spot 26 a-26 e (collectively, 26).

A player places a wager in the wager spot 24 for each of the hands that the player wishes to wager on, the hands that she thinks will win. The wagered amount is indicated by any marker or markers that acceptably signify value, such as cash, chips, credit vouchers, or other cash equivalents.

Before, during, or after the wagers are placed, the dealer deals out a number of community cards face down in the community card locations 14. Alternatively, one or more of the community cards may be face up. The community cards are considered to be part of every hand, which means that the only difference from one hand to another is the first two cards of each hand. In the example game, there are five community cards. However, the number of community cards is dependent on the game being played, so there may be one or more community cards. For example, Let It Ride has two community cards.

In the example game, after the first round of wagering, the dealer reveals the community cards in the first three locations 14 a-14 c by turning them face up. At this point, a second round of wagering takes place. For each hand that the player wagered on, the player must either wager an additional amount or fold the hand. The player makes an additional wager by placing a marker in the corresponding R spot 26. After this second round of wagering, the remaining two community cards 14 d, 14 e are revealed by turning them face up. Alternatively, rather than a second round of wagering, all of the community cards 14 a-14 e are revealed after the first round of wagering.

In the example game, the community cards are all dealt face down before, during, or after the first round of wagering and then turned over to reveal the card values when needed during the game. Alternatively, each community card may be dealt face up as it is needed during the game.

The winning hand is determined by comparing the hands based on a predetermined criteria. In the example game, that criteria includes determining which hand has the highest rank among the best five cards of each hand where, as indicated above, each hand consists of the first two cards plus the five community cards. A player that wagered on the winning hand is a winning player. The winning player receives a predetermined payout according to the pay table in use.

The present invention adds a bonus wager based on the community cards to the basic game. The bonus wager can be a side bet, a jackpot, or other form. A jackpot may be “set” or “progressive”. In a set jackpot, the amount put into the jackpot for each game is fixed, but the fixed amount may be adjusted periodically, for example, after the jackpot is won. If more than one eligible player wins a set jackpot, each winner is paid a predetermined amount. In a progressive jackpot, the amount put into the jackpot increases for each game played during which the jackpot is not won. If more than one eligible player wins a progressive jackpot, its value is divided equally among the winners.

A winning bonus wager is one where the rank of a bonus hand is found in a bonus pay table. The bonus hand is composed of any combination of one or more of the community cards. The community cards that make up the bonus hand are determined prior to the game. In one implementation, the bonus hand is composed of the first three community cards, the flop in Texas Hold'em. In another implementation, the bonus hand is composed of all the community cards. In yet another implementation, the bonus hand is composed of the first, third, and fifth community cards.

The present invention further contemplates that the rank of the bonus hand is based on a subset of the cards of the bonus hand, where the subset is all or fewer than all of the cards of the bonus hand. In one example, the bonus hand is composed of the first three community cards and the rank is determine by a subset of all the cards of the bonus hand. In another example, the bonus hand is composed of all five community cards and the rank of the bonus hand is determined by a subset composed of the best four cards of the bonus hand.

Those players that play the game are given the option of playing the bonus wager. There may be more than one bonus wager permitted, for example, one for the first three community cards (the flop) and another for all the community cards. Each player position has a spot for each bonus wager. The example of FIG. 2 shows a single bonus wager, a bonus spot 28 for a flop bonus wager. The example of FIG. 3 shows three bonus wagers, an F spot 30 for a flop bonus wager, a C spot 32 for a bonus wager on all five community cards, and a 4-5 spot 34 for a wager on the best four out of five community cards. Prior to the community cards being revealed, a player wishing to place a bonus wager or wagers indicates so by placing the amount to be wagered on the appropriate spot or spots. The bonus wager is won if the rank of the bonus hand is found in the corresponding pay table. An example pay table for a three-card bonus wager is shown in FIG. 4. An example pay table for a five-card bonus wager is shown in FIG. 5. An example pay table for a best four of five bonus wager is shown in FIG. 6.

The present invention contemplates that, rather than being played on a table surface with a live dealer, the example game, and the bonus wager of the present invention, is played using other media, such as scratch or pull-tab tickets, video poker-type machines, personal computers, hand-held devices, slot machines, over an on-line computer network, or on other types of one-way or interactive gaming or entertainment equipment, such as keno-style or lottery-style equipment.

In one example of a scratch ticket 40, shown in FIG. 7, the five two-card hands 42 a-42 e are shown exposed and there is a scratch location 44 a-44 e for each of the community cards. The player selects one or more hands to be played and the ticket 40 is marked to show the selection(s). The ticket 40 is also marked in the B spot 46 if the player elects to play the bonus. In the ticket of FIG. 7, the two selected hands and the bonus spot are marked with a star 48. The community cards are randomly selected prior to printing. The player scratches to reveal the community cards 44 a-44 e. The ticket is a winning ticket if the player selected the winning hand or if the rank of the bonus hand is in the bonus pay table.

In a keno-style lottery system 50, a block diagram of which is shown in FIG. 8, a player typically makes her choice of player hands at a remote location 54 by marking a slip of paper with the hands and bonus(es) she wishes to wager on and the wager amount. She gives the slip to a clerk with the amount of the wager in cash, who then scans the slip into a terminal 56 that sends the choices to a central location 52. Alternatively, choices can be made from a keyboard, a key grid, or a touch screen grid. Alternatively, the player many request a “quick pick,” where the input terminal 56 or central location 52 randomly chooses hand(s) and/or bonus(es) for the player. The player receives a receipt, such as a paper receipt, or other acknowledgement, such as an indication on a private terminal, indicating the hand(s) and/or bonus(es) chosen for the game. As the game is being played, the hands are displayed on a video screen 58 or matrix of video screens visible to the players at the remote location 54 from information received from the central location 52.

With individual machines, an example of which is shown in FIG. 9, each player has her own terminal 60. An example is a video machine at a gaming establishment. The two cards of the five hands 82 a-82 e are displayed on the player's video screen 62. Prior to playing a game, the player inserts cash, a voucher, or a paper ticket, into a money reader 64 or swipes a credit card, debit card, or player card in a card reader 66. The player begins a game by pressing the NEW button 70 and entering the hand(s) and/or bonus(es) on which the player wishes to wager and amount to wager using the keypad 70 or a touch screen 62. The player presses the PLAY button 74 to reveal the community cards 84 a-84 e and to determine if the player won. Winning amounts are credited to the player and may be printed on a voucher 76 for payment by a cashier or they may be paid in coins or other monetary tokens by the terminal itself. Optionally, the terminal 60 may include a QUICK button 78 to provide the player with a “quick pick” option, and/or a REPEAT button 80 so that the player may repeat the selections from the previous game.

Alternatively, the standalone machine may be a personal computer, hand-held device, or mobile telephone. The standalone machine can be part of a wired or wireless network. Wagers can be made by debits to credit cards, debit cards, or other cash equivalent. Payouts can be made by crediting credit cards, debit cards, or other bank account, by dispatching gifts, or by any other method wherein the player is credited with the amount won.

Thus, it has been shown and described a bonus wager for a poker game that has community cards that satisfies the objects set forth above.

Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 

1. A method of playing a bonus wager for a poker-type card game with at least one 52-card deck of playing cards, said method comprising the following steps: (a) at least one player wagering on said bonus; (b) dealing at least one playing card to a plurality of hands; (c) dealing at least one playing card as community cards; (d) forming a bonus hand from at least one of said community cards; and (e) paying said at least one player a predetermined amount if a subset of said bonus hand has a predetermined combination of playing cards.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least three playing cards are dealt as said community cards.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said bonus hand is at least three of said community cards and said subset is all of said bonus hand.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein five playing cards are dealt as said community cards.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said bonus hand is three of said community cards and said subset is all of said bonus hand.
 7. The method of claim 4 wherein said bonus hand is five of said community cards and said subset is four cards of said bonus hand.
 8. The method of claim 4 wherein said bonus hand is five of said community cards and said subset is all of said bonus hand.
 9. A method of playing a bonus for a poker-type card game with at least one 52-card deck of playing cards, said method comprising the following steps: (a) at least one player wagering on said bonus; (b) dealing two playing cards to a plurality of hands; (c) dealing five playing cards as community cards; (d) forming a bonus hand from at least one of said community cards; and (e) paying said at least one player a predetermined amount if a subset of said bonus hand has a predetermined combination of playing cards.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein said bonus hand is three of said community cards and said subset is all of said bonus hand.
 11. The method of claim 9 wherein said bonus hand is at least three of said community cards and said subset is all of said bonus hand.
 12. The method of claim 9 wherein said bonus hand is five of said community cards and said subset is four cards of said bonus hand.
 13. The method of claim 9 wherein said bonus hand is five of said community cards and said subset is all of said bonus hand. 